This July marks the six-year anniversary of Christopher Reeve’s visit to Israel for a tour of the country’s advanced stem-cell research facilities. During his visit in July 2003, Reeve called the experience “a privilege” and said, “The research progresses more rapidly in Israel than almost anywhere else I can think of.”
Throughout his intensive tour, Reeve visited the Alin Pediatric Hospital, Weizmann Institute of Science, and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, among many other places at the forefront of research into spinal-cord injury.
Reeve discussed his trip to Israel on CNN’s Larry King Live while he was in Tel Aviv. When asked what Israel is doing that other countries aren’t, Reeve responded, “They have a very progressive atmosphere here. They also work very well together. They share their knowledge. This is a country of six million people about the size of Long Island, and everyone works together very tremendously. The people of the country benefit from that.”
Israelis were very receptive to Reeve’s visit, calling him an inspiration to all and urging him to never give up hope. Sadly, Reeve lost his battle in 2004 at age 52.
Today, Israel continues to be a world leader in stem cell research, having made remarkable breakthroughs with Parkinson’s disease, and huge leaps towards restoring vision, curing diabetes, and enabling people with spinal-cord injuries to walk again, among other achievements.
Christopher Reeves in Israel
Click To View Video
Reeve discussed his trip to Israel on CNN’s Larry King Live while he was in Tel Aviv.
Click To View Video
